Costa Rica will support international protection for hammerhead sharks at CITES

Las March 4, the Ministry of Environment of Costa Rica announced during a press conference that the country would support a proposal to list hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The proposal, which would allow for controls over the international trade of products from this species, including its fins, will be voted during the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (CoP15), to be celebrated in Doha, Qatar, from March 13-25 of the current year.

“I would like to congratulate the authorities of the MINAET and of Foreign Affairs, for the leadership our country has shown in different international forums in favor of the protection and management of sharks”, said Randall Arauz, President of Pretoma. Arauz used the event to personally present the Minister of Environment Jorge Rodríguez, with a compilation of more than 2000 signatures of Costa Rican citizens supporting the protection of hammerhead sharks in CITES, as a result of the campaign “2000 Ticos for the Hammerhead Shark”.

“It is very encouraging to see the degree of commitment of the Costa Rican people with the global protection of shark”, said Minister Rodríguez, when he received the document. “These signatures will travel to Qatar, and I will request that they be mentioned during the official interventions of Costa Rica on the matter”, affirmed the Minister.

MINAET also confirmed that Costa Rica will also support the oceanic white tip (Carcharhinus longimanus) proposal, common in region, as well as the porbeagle (Lamna nasus), the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), and the bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) proposals, which don’t occur in the region, but the country considers it is important to regulate their international commerce.

(March 18, 2010 – San José, Costa Rica)
Las March 4, the Ministry of Environment of Costa Rica announced during a press conference that the country would support a proposal to list hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The...